Historical Facts: The First and Second Balkan Wars

     Let's be honest. This won't be easy. The Balkan Wars were chaotic and dramatic. You'll soon see why. But we're going to cover it today. Why did each war happen? Let's find out on Historical Facts. 

Part 1 - The First Balkan War (1912 - 1913)

    By 1912, some non-Turkish people in the Balkans already had their independence. Those states were Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece. Despite that, however, the Ottoman Empire was still holding on to some of its Balkan lands. So Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Greece formed the Balkan League and declared war on the Ottoman Empire. 

    Each nation had its own interests, some even clashing with the other interests. Bulgaria wanted Macedonia, Thessaloniki, and Thrace. Greece also wanted Thrace, plus parts of Anatolia. Serbia wanted Macedonia. And while Montenegro wanted some land, I'm not actually sure what that land is called. Anyway, the First Balkan War commenced. 

    Now, here's the problem. Bulgaria wished to gain all of Macedonia and especially Thessaloniki before Serbia and Greece could get there. However, Greece got to Thessaloniki first. (I'm not sure about Serbia with North Macedonia.) Bulgaria moved troops to Thessaloniki, but it was too late. As you'll see, this caused problems. 

    Still, the Balkan League achieved victory. The Ottomans' presence were significantly reduced in the Balkans, and the new state of Albania gained independence. This destroyed most of the remaining hope that the Ottomans could still dominate the Balkans. 

Part 2 - The Second Balkan War (1913)

    However, as I said, there were problems. Bulgaria wanted all of Macedonia, yet the Treaty of London (the peace treaty after the First Balkan War) only granted them a very small portion of it, known as Pirin Macedonia. This upset Bulgaria, so they declared war on Serbia and Greece in 1913. 

    I think this was a mistake. They did it too soon, without preparing. This was just two months after the end of the First Balkan War. Had they prepared better, they might have succeeded. But Romania capitalized and invaded Bulgaria, hoping to gain a part of Bulgaria known as Southern Dobruja. The Ottomans invaded too, and Bulgaria lost the war in just a month. They were stripped of several of their gains in the First Balkan War. 

Part 3 - The End

    If you thought this was chaotic, look at the Balkans in the 1990s, with Yugoslavia breaking apart. Even today, so much chaos exists in the Balkans. Bulgaria and North Macedonia still don't have good relations due to this. I feel like these were the reasons for the Balkans being labeled as the most chaotic region in Europe. 

    Before I end, I have something to share with you. You heard the name "Macedonia" a lot here. So, if you want to know what Macedonia is, don't worry. I have a detailed history of Macedonia here. (Some of you might have read it already.)

    Thanks for reading! Bye!

The Library of Enotita

Historical Facts: The 1867 Compromise and the Austro-Hungarian Empire

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     Okay. I think I gave you the end before the beginning, because this is about the rise of Austria-Hungary. If you didn't read the last article , that's on the fall of Austria-Hungary. But, I didn't know I would post on this. So, let's go!     Let's look at Austria in 1867. The previous year, they lost a war to Prussia and Italy. After Prussia defeated Austria, the other German states dependent on Austria had an uncertain future. (This would be resolved after the Franco-Prussian War.) But Austria also had an uncertain future. After losing wars, you would generally have a bad economy. Austria was no exception. And Austria already had many ethnicities in their empire. As I said in the last article, Austria had many minorities. In fact, I'll list just some of the most significant minorities in the Austrian Empire: Czechs Slovaks Poles Ukrainians Romanians Hungarians Serbs Croats Slovenes Italians     If this doesn't sound too complicated to you, think ...
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The Ager Centralis Enotitae and Pecunia - Enotitan Finance Guide

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The first ever bill issued by the Ager Centralis. This bill is for one Pecunia.      Almost every country has a currency. You have the dollar, peso, euro, pound, and much more. However, we did not have a currency. This is bad, because the economy is very vital to every country. That's why we established the Ager Centralis Enotitae (Latin for Enotitan Central Bank). From now on, Enotitans can use the Pecunia, our new currency.      To start, open an account at any branch of the Ager Centralis. (Currently, there are only branches in Olsen, the main state.) Present the teller any valid Enotitan government ID. Following that, give the teller any bill from any currency. After around 10 minutes, it will be converted and transformed into a Pecunia for the initial deposit.      You can use the card in Enotitan shops. You can buy souvenirs, food, or even use it to receive salary. (Enotitan companies besides government agencies do not exist at the mome...
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Historical Facts: American and Japanese Rule in the Philippines

     This was based on Reader's Digest: The Story of the Filipino People - Parts 6 and 7 ( Under the Stars and Stripes  and The Japanese Occupation ) by Milagros C. Guerrero and Ricardo T. Jose.      Now that I think about it, I would call the Spanish occupation "the first storm," the American occupation "the second storm," and the Japanese occupation "the third storm." The "between the storm" parts would be 1898 - 1901 and 1935 - 1941.  Part 1 - The Second Storm (1901 - 1935)     After the Philippine-American War, the United States turned the Philippines into a colony. They gained it in the Treaty of Paris along with Puerto Rico, Cuba, and some other islands. The Americans needed to keep it away from Spain, France, and Germany.      Under Spanish rule, the Filipinos were taught Catholicism. But the Americans were mainly Methodist (a sect of Protestantism). American missionaries were sent to the Philippines, although most ...
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